Lost in the Ellipse
by Cappunan
Summary: Sora wanted to find meaning in life that wasn't a GPA. After highschool, he sets out on a dead-end quest with his best friend Roxas, only to be almost killed in a two-for-one suicide attempt. When they are found by the Destiny Hills Youth Group, Sora suspects there's something completely off about this seemingly perfect town, its "Youth Group", and its charming leader, Riku.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: Hey guys. This is my first time trying to do a long project in a really long time. I'm not sure if this is going to go far too slow at some points, and too quickly at others, but if you give this a chance bare(bear?) with me! This first chapter is definitely slower than the others. Also, sorry, I'm doing some chapter re-arrangement. The first chapter seems to be a bit long.**

There's never been a worse moment in the past year for Sora than remembering what he could have been doing with his life and what he's actually doing. It was nice for him to pretend that what he was doing was something worthwhile, and he'd have some kind of life altering epiphany after all of this. But he was starting to think that wasn't going to happen.

Sunglasses on, leaning out the window with dirt pasting Sora's face as Roxas speeds unwaveringly down the road. They drove in silence, which has become a typical custom. Roxas drives into oblivion and Sora doesn't question his intuition, because Sora couldn't drive. Loud rock music drowns out potential conversation and they pretend that it occupies their minds, leaving no spare room for a second thought. The summer breathed onto Sora like a sweaty old pervert in the park.

The problem has been that none of this is as glamourous or enlightening as they had assumed it'd be.

Roxas and Sora always said that we should travel, go places, see the world, because they were too young to be wasting their lives failing out of school and shabbily skating down Peter's Avenue for the next few years. So instead of just musing on it and talking about it with lofty pipe dreams like normal people, they actually decided to steal money from Sora's parents and sell their worldly possessions and just go. Because, Sora mused, fulfilling petty whims makes up for the spit-worthy act of stealing from the only people who ever gave a shit about him; except Roxas, obviously. Sora knew he should have felt guilty for thinking this because it's too late now, but he didn't care; he missed his x-box. He missed his cellphone. He even missed his boring, busy parents.

The gravel traveled too quickly below the legs of this car for Sora to get a good picture of them. He tried to photograph them for further inspection, though, only to be graced with biting inertia. He didn't like to look up because the slimy anxiety that is slowly writhing down his esophagus over the course of the past two months only travels faster when he has no idea where they were and the neighborhoods were empty and melancholy.

Sora thought about the past. Do you want a sandwich, his mother asks. No, you horrible bitch, how dare you offer me food and shelter, he replies. I'm going to run away because that sounds rational. Because you don't understand my need to be free, or something, he rebelliously exclaims.

Sora sweltered, noting that the rides were so lackluster these days that hitting a bump was a highlight. He was a slave to this car, and to whatever caught Roxas's eye. Or if he needed to eat, sleep, or piss. Sora preferred to adjust his biology to his just so he didn't have to talk anymore, because he knew if he did, he was going to end up saying something Roxas didn't want to hear. And Sora knew he didn't want to hear how ridiculous they both know this is. Or how they were running out of money, fast.

But Roxas never had parents that cared, and he'd never been attached to anything, so Sora guessed once they'd been spent, they'd either figure out what to do or starve.

"Hey, there's a gas station. I need to get gas and pee." Roxas says to Sora. Sora didn't have to go, but he would so he didn't have to bring anything up to him later. Sora had given up on being polite like Roxas though, so he just unzipped himself and pissed on the side, because he'd already gotten used to the broiling heat of the black leather seat and blistering sun, and didn't feel like re-situating himself. Whatever.

"Yo, back." Well, yeah. Obviously he was, Sora thought to himself. "Uh, did you go? It's free now."

"I just went here." Sora shrugged.

"Eh, don't touch me with your hands then. Covered in dick." He laughs. Sora chuckled. And then there was that familiar sound again. Louder than the laughs or the words. The silence. Sora resumed position. A sigh that wasn't meant for Sora to take a cue from erupts from Roxas. Sora could see that he knew exactly what Sora was talking about- the silence is boring and cliché by this point.

That gas station was the last sign of human life they'd seen for miles. There's no cars, no stragglers waiting for drug money on the side of the road- no one. Just woods around them, with no animals going about their business- they don't want anything to do with them either. Sora started to wonder if this was it; perhaps he and Roxas had entered a parallel dimension and are now paying for their sins by traveling on a never ending hell passage.

But as Sora glanced over, he noticed the slightest tremor in Roxas's brow. A look of great concentration or concern overtook his face; he couldn't tell, but Sora knew something was awry, and he knew he was far too apprehensive about confronting him. But something was wrong and Sora could feel it from him, he knew that Roxas was debating bringing it up to him.

"Sora..." his voice winded like raspy old violin strings, and for some reason Sora knew his suspicions were manifesting into a reality. "Are you sick of me?" Sora shook his head no, because Sora could never be sick of him. He was sick of this. "Because I'm really starting to hate this..."

And for a flighty moment Sora believed, yes, finally, we're turning around, we're done with this. But then Roxas spoke. "The only thing really keeping me going is that I don't wanna fuck you over. But if you're just done then so am I. With everything."

A part of Sora's brain knew what Roxas meant immediately, and the other part was still trying to contemplate the meaning of that. And as usual, Sora didn't say anything. he didn't nod, or squeak or reach out for the wheel, because before he knew it they were traveling at bullet speed into the woodsy crater to their left.

As the panic struck, Roxas finally realized the gravity of what he had done and tried to get the car under control, dodging trees with a reflex that Sora would have been impressed with if his life hadn't been in approaching end. His foot jamming against the breaks in vein, they were rolling down hill at unstoppable momentum. This was always a crappy car.

Still Sora didn't scream or try to help himself because he could only grip the car armrests desperately and keep looking ahead like he was playing an arcade racing game.

Sound of screeching metal. Sora's head plunged against the window.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note: Sorry this isn't a new chapter if that's what you came for! I'm just trying to re-arrange the chapters. A new chapter should be coming tonight though!**

Sora wondered if he was in the hospital, or abducted. He was hoping for the former when he regained consciousness, at least he thought he did, for a split second. Sora couldn't move. His eyes felt disgustingly swollen, like heavy pillows, and his body obsolete. There was a light above him though; skewed by the silhouettes of a small crowd. He couldn't tell how many. He was too lethargic to be scared, he was half sure he was dreaming. Black fuzz in a halo above him, Sora laid there, a sacrifice to alien poachers.

Their voices were soft and unattached to him, like falling asleep as the noise starts to tune out and become a cozy buzz. Fading in and out, he heard one voice, and then hasty responses from the rest, like a conductor and his orchestra. Sora thought they'd finally noticed that he'd been watching them, and suddenly he didn't hear anything. Sora felt a hand on his face, non-abrasive, just a light touch of the tips.

He tried to summon the power in his left hand to communicate with whatever it was, but he felt consciousness slipping once again into darkness.

* * *

Sora woke up from a black dream because of a forceful slap to his shoulder, and then to his chest. He probably wouldn't have been as angered if he weren't in such horrible pain all over, but the contact whirled his pain into a state that was worlds worse than how it was before. Clutching himself into a curl on the bed, he refused to open his eyes. He didn't want to know what was going on, he just wanted sleep.

"Wake up you damn bum," Roxas's voice drilled into Sora's head and polluted his already rotting headache. Roxas's voice was hitched and groggy. When Sora finally worked up the motivation to peek out from under his lids, he saw that Roxas looked disturbed; his brows were furrowed and his jaw tightly clenched, his knuckles white around Sora's shoulder. Sora didn't think he'd ever seen him this uneasy, with rings around his eyes and sweat armoring his face and hands.

"Whas wrong, why are you all messed up?" Sora asked, and he felt a little betrayed when Roxas looked at him like the idiot Sora convinced himself he was, when Roxas was usually more patient.

"Dude, look around. I don't know where the fuck we are." Roxas replied, pinching the areas around his elbows, typically what he would do when he was unsure of himself. Sora steadied myself with his right hand as I propped myself up on the bed. When Sora looked around, he wasn't sure why Roxas was so on edge.

They were in a room lit well only by the afternoon sun shining through the the large, square windows. Honey brown wood floor stationed what seemed to be more wood walls, a lighter yellow color. The furniture seemed to compliment the walls and floor because it appeared to be wooden itself, in different shades, and home-made. Cloth strangled the chairs and spread across the table, decorative and plaid. The dust that circled the room was visible by the sun rays, which may have also been warming the room by itself. At the end of this room was a staircase, leading to who knows, and a separate bed to Sora's left, which is where Roxas probably slept. It was clad in the same plaid-pink pattern the rest of the furniture was covered in. Sora's blankets were the same. A clock on the wall, to his left, plain white, read 2:30.

The room alleviated Sora, like an inn or even a relatives house. When he focused on Roxas, however, his appearance startled Sora more than their unknown location. One purple-black right eye, soft, sensitive, and painful looking. The flesh next to that eye also looked raw and purple. His body seemed to have been the worse of it though; his torso was wrapped up to his left arm and his right arm was completely covered in a cast. He seemed to be more hunched over than usual, and Sora could see that parts of his chest were bleeding though the wrap. He was limping on his right foot.

"Holy crap, are you ok?" Sora asked, even though the pain Roxas was feeling was quite apparent to him. Roxas sported an even nastier scowl at him and rolled his eyes. Sora quietly staked his right to be in a confused stupor that Roxas obviously opposed.

"Sora, besides the fact that I'm in incredible pain," his 'p' in 'pain' left behind a wonderful spitty residue on Sora's face, "I have no idea where the fuck we are. Do you?" He had his hands in grips now against his head, tugging at the bangs that framed his face.

Sora took a good look around again, and to be honest, he wasn't sure if I should be worried. I felt more at home than he ever had on the road, it was warm and welcoming. He sat up cross legged on the bed and patted the space next to himself, signaling Roxas to sit too. He hoped that it would relax him. Sora was still uncertain about why he was so relaxed since usually he was the one to hold them back from just jumping into situations, but there was a certain balance that needed to be maintained, and Sora was obviously the one to fill the calm role for now.

Roxas took the bait and sat next to Sora struggling to move appropriately, but eventually he plopped down and sighed in relief.

Sora wasn't sure what to say in light of what happened. He didn't know if Roxas should apologize or he should, and then he wasn't sure why he would even be apologizing. So in the meantime Sora felt his surroundings like a newborn, resting his fingers on the blanket, or gliding them across the wood frame.

"Sora," Roxas starts, and Sora starts to anticipate the oncoming talk. These talks were uncommon and avoided, personal feelings left in the margin for more pleasant measures.

"I don't know what that was. I'm so just.. God, Sora, I don't know." He put his head down, dejected into his hands which were covered by casts, making the gesture bulky and annoying. Sora knew somewhere in that sentence, there was an unspoken "sorry", and Sora just shrugged in response.

"I really regretted this whole thing until I woke up. I guess because it was proof that I was meant to keep going. But fuck, we almost died, dude." He was laughing behind his teeth-bearing grin, lungs still collapsing with exhaustion. "I just can't believe it. But y'know, I wouldn't have regretted it, dying with you, or some shit. That sounds fucking stupid." He laughed into his hands, like he was embarrassed, and Sora laughed along with him for the sake of saving face. Sora was still shivering as he didn't know what to say, his heart palpitating.

"I know Rox. It's cool." Sora laid down on the bed discreetly for the purpose of not having to look at Roxas; he was heaving, trying not to cry. Sora look up at the ceiling, the blandest part of the room, trying to be interested in it's detail. Roxas stays hunched over in his hands. They stayed in these positions until Roxas decided to mimic Sora, and then they were both pretending to find the differences in pattern on the wood to be enthralling. Sora felt like he was in a dream. He had no idea where we were. Neither of them did. Roxas survived a suicide attempt, Sora survived a homicide, and they boths survived a horrible car crash. Up until then Sora hadn't thought about what the crash had done to him, but he'd definitely been feeling a headache that he thought was just stress related. Sora put his hand to his head and right on that spot there was gauze taped. With further inspection, Sora realized he was mostly untouched and was wearing the same clothes he had been when they were driving. Neither of them attempted to move.

Sora wondered if his mom would come looking for him. He wondered if those other friends that he talked to during class will care. Maybe they'd make an announcement for Sora and Roxas. Sora wondered if Cloud would be mad because he wasn't there to be his math partner; after all, neither of them had any other friends. Sora figured his teachers would probably think he's just skipping to screw around again. Sora was hungry. He wondered if he was going to die on this bed. Maybe God was playing a prank. Maybe they'd die after all. Maybe Roxas will eat him, or hopefully the quilts are somewhat edible as an alternative, Sora considered.

These idle thoughts occupied Sora's train of consciousness until he heard a squeak from downstairs- the kind that doors make, and then the door hits the wall. Both Sora's and Roxas's bodies jolted, and they both stared at each other, wide eyed. Sora couldn't bring myself to move out of fear. The worse case scenarios ran through his mind: serial killer, fat ugly rapist, fat ugly rapist serial killer, maybe he'd dress them up as babies, maybe the guy from Human Centipede is here, maybe it's witch from Hanzel and Grettle. Sora deducted that it probably wasn't the guy from Human Centipede, or his mouth would probably be sewed to Roxas's ass right now. The rapist and serial killer scenarios were still possible.

His thoughts ceased because he needed to listen for the conversation downstairs, but he couldn't hear anything, except what sounded like a girl-woman. She's talking to someone, but he couldn't hear anything aside from unintelligible mumbles. Or maybe she's on the phone? She didn't give Sora's mind enough time to reel before he heard her coming upstairs. Suddenly he was up from the bed, clutching the end of it as if he could use it as a weapon. Roxas couldn't react because of his condition and chooses to lean on his elbow and turn his head toward the direction of the stairs. Sora moved a bit closer to Roxas, just in case he had to defend both of them.

Sora could see a face as it ascends further up the steps, and it's the girl. Sora relaxed and could see that Roxas had too. She's nice looking, Sora thought. She had hair that's kind of messy and two almost braids running down her shoulders, and she's very...sunny, in a word. She sported an orange tank top. She seemed a little wary of them, and looked them down, lacing her fingers together.

She ignores Sora and looked at Roxas. "Hey. Don't worry, you're in good hands." She wore a small smile on her face. She finally made it up to the top of the stairs and Sora observed that her shoes match her shirt. She put her hands behind her back and sucked her lips in, like she's avoiding conversation, or thinking. "I'm Olette, by the way." She waved.

Roxas was confident enough to answer. "I'm Roxas. That's Sora. Thanks for taking care of us... if you did, heh." His guard had completely disappeared, and Sora could tell that he liked her already. It was those rare moments that Roxas that the serious glint in Roxas eyes would fade that Sora normally felt comfortable enough to drop his guard too, but at the moment Sora still wasn't sure about how to feel about her. But he give her the nod of acknowledgment when her eyes shifted towards him, and he gathered that meant we were fine for now. She was definitely more interested in Roxas though, because her eyes only stayed with Sora for a second before maneuvering back to him.

"It's no problem! You were pretty beat up looking when we found you. You must be starving, since you've been out for a pretty long time." The momentum of the last half hour must have erased the memory of their hunger; it came back with gusto and Sora's stomach growled in harmony with it. Roxas started laughing and Olette just nodded and made her way back downstairs.

Roxas then looked at Sora and smiled with a message: _it's going to be okay. This is 's happening is going to be good. _He returned the smile.

"I like her." Sora knew he did. "She's nice, isn't she? Pretty cool. Pretty... giving, y'know? She didn't have to do that." He sprawled out on the bed, cringing from the wounds.

"She's got some trippy hair, anyway." Sora said, and for a millisecond he wondered if that would peeve Roxas- but was relieved when a snicker escaped him instead. "I mean it was everywhere."

"Uh, excuse me, do either of us have a damn right to complain about other people having funked hair? Our hair doesn't know what goddamn physics are."

"Right right. That's why I failed that class." Sora smirked.

"Well sorta. Your hair doesn't just grow out of your head... it grows into it too, like it probably pokes through your brain so instead of smarts there's just hair." He chortled, and in retaliation Sora poked a particularly swollen looking bruise on Roxas's arm. "Ow! Fuck you." He slapped Sora's chest with fierce reflex and Sora recoiled, but laughed anyway.

They heard the stairs moan again, and saw Olette rise with eggs and toast platters in her left and right hands, accompanied by proper table wares. They wasted no time and promptly stuffed their faces. It may have been because he was starving, but Sora would swear that at that time it was the best meal he had ever ingested. The toast had a hint of butter on it's perfectly warmed skin and the eggs had been salted almost to perfection. Olette sat in the chair by the table, stretching her legs out. She was watching them both, and Sora wondered what she was thinking about them being here. Her arms crossed, she leered at her strangers.

"Did you like the food?" She asks when they'd both cleared their plates, and they both confirm with a nod, Roxas more exuberantly. "Great." she has a small smile on her face. "So... I hope you don't feel weird about this," she started, "but do you remember what happened? I'm guessing you're gonna wanna know what's up."

"We were driving and crashed," says Roxas, "but I have no idea how we got here. My memory is a blank from that."

"We found you," Olette explains, "where you crashed. We were all really freaked out! I remember wondering if you were dead, and a few of us were getting really upset. Good thing they got you out of that car in time. We were able to stop your bleeding and bandage you up."

"Wow." Roxas whispered. Sora knew his shock. If they hadn't found the friends, they might have been dead. "Okay, thanks. I mean, that's just awesome. And crazy." The awe in Roxas's voice was prevalent, and it spoke for Sora as well.

Olette nodded and started to brush through her hair with her fingers. "Well, you guys are alright now." She stood up then and walked to the stairs again, and a part of Sora hoped she would stay down stairs this time so he could get a chance to talk to Roxas again. But when Sora looked at him, he seemed to be distressed by the sight of Olette's departure.

"Hey wait," Roxas blurted. Olette turns around, looking surprised. And then with that same grin, she tells him not to worry. "Sorry, it's just kinda boring up here. No offense!" He cried.

"Haha. No I get it! I was actually about to go get some of my friends..." as Roxas was about to inquire further, a protrusion of voices was heard from downstairs, deeper in tone.

"Hey, are you talking about us up there Olette?" one voice shouted, bold in manner. Olette rolls her eyes.

"Just come up and meet the new guys!" She yelled back down.

Another boy around their age ascended. A blonde, slightly lighter in tone than Roxas. He wore camo pants and a green shirt, and had stern, transitioning from boy-to-manhood like features. Angled jaw and sharp eyes. He put off introductions by waiting for his heavier friend who made his way up the stairs more slowly, and he along with the first boy had a very distinct style. He wore a white, long sleeved shirt which was covered by a jersey-type sleeveless shirt and wore a purple bandana. He wore a headband that made his hair spike up like a pineapple, although Sora shouldn't have been the first person to judge someone for that.

"Hi, I'm Pence!" said the heavier one, polite and welcome.

"I'm Hayner." declared the other one hotly.

Roxas and Sora both waved in response.

Sora realized he should speak. "Thanks for helping us, we probably would've been gonners."

Pence started to modestly wave his hands, signaling the insignificance of their actions, but was cut off by Hayner.

"I don't know what idiots you have to suddenly get thrown off a straight road," he scolded, "but you're right, you're damn lucky." Olette looked as though she was about to berate him, but Roxas concurred with him.

"It was mostly my fault. Sorry for bothering you guys." Roxas looked down modestly, and Hayner shrugged.

"I guess it's alright." Hayner walked over to Olette and slung his arm around her shoulders. "You're just lucky you had our nurse over here. She's a great chick." Olette blushed and rolled her eyes simultaneously while Roxas verbally agreed and Sora nodded his head, which made her erupt in giggles.

"Hayner." Hayner's attention was grabbed by Pence, who motioned his head out of the house. Hayner nodded.

"We gotta go meet up with some people." Hayner said, and looked from Roxas to Sora. "You'll meet them soon. I'll put in a good word for you." he smirked. Roxas calmly muttered a simple, 'cool, man'.

"It was nice to meet you, by Pence, Hayner." Sora (bravely, in his opinion) interjected. They both grinned and waved them off, bouncing downstairs. After the door closed, the three stood in silence for a moment.

"So," Roxas started, "are your parents here?"

"Uh, I'll tell you about that later. Wanna go see the town?" Olette offered. Sora and Roxas agreed.

* * *

**So, slow start? It'll pick up. I'm trying not do make this story move at a pace too fast though.**


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